Amanpour

Latest Episodes:

A big victory for a small country Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

The Pacific island of Vanuatu is one step closer to getting the world’s highest court to weigh in on the climate crisis for the first time ever. Backed by the United Nations, it's asking the International Court of Justice to clearly lay out how countries must address the warming planet. Few countries are feeling climate change pressure more acutely than Barbados, along with other small island nations that fear being swallowed up by the sea. Prime Minister Mia Mottley has become one of the most well-known world leaders calling for action, clearly communicating what’s at stake. She has a kindred spirit in Avinash Persaud, her climate envoy. Together, they are pushing the Bridgetown Initiative – named for their capital city – to help pay for and delay climate change damage in developing countries.

Also on today's show: Matthew Desmond, author, “Poverty, By America”; Gilbert & George

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Biden vs. Netanyahu Mar 29, 2023

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President Biden launches his second Democracy Summit today, with in-person and virtual participation by over 100 world leaders. Today’s summit comes as Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Biden trade barbs over the right-wing coalition's controversial judicial reforms, with Biden hoping they will be abandoned, and Netanyahu firing back that Israel makes its own choices. For more on this, Christiane speaks with Biden ally Senator Chris Van Hollen.

Also on today's show: Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova; US House Democrat Maxwell Frost

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Yet another mass shooting in the US Mar 28, 2023

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It’s one day after another mass shooting in America – this time, at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee. It raises the same old, yet vital, unanswered questions? How long will this remain the norm? How long before legislators step in to actually save lives, as in so many other democratic nations? Firearms are the leading cause of death among American children and adolescents aged between one and 19 – and in Nashville, three children were among the six slaughtered at their school. Our first guest tonight is himself a survivor of gun violence: at 17, Joseph Sakran survived a bullet wound to the throat. Now he is a trauma surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland, regularly seeing at close quarters the visceral violence that these weapons cause.

Also on today's show: Martin Indyk, former US Ambassador to Israel; former tennis star Boris Becker and Alex Gibney, director of "Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker”

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Strikes, protests in Israel derail Netanyahu ... for now Mar 27, 2023

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A stunning display of resistance in Israel may have stopped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to weaken the judiciary – at least for now. In the face of massive protests and strikes, the prime minister says the proposal is tabled for the moment, but it could be brought up again as soon as a month from now. Whether this will be enough to calm the outcry is yet to be seen, though, as critics both inside and outside the country say the Israeli leader is making a troublesome slide towards democracy. Reporter Hadas Gold joins the show from Jerusalem, followed by former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Also on today's show: Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief, The Economist; Peter Westmacott, former British Ambassador to France; Michael Specter, author, “Higher Animals”

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How much of a threat is TikTok? Mar 24, 2023

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The tense competition between the US and China boiled over in Congress this week in a hearing over social media app TikTok and how it handles data. Members of Congress repeatedly voiced their concerns over the app’s ties to China and its impact on American youth. The Chinese government says US lawmakers who want to ban TikTok are just part of a “xenophobic witch hunt,” while for his part, TikTok CEO Shou Chew defended his company’s autonomy and security. Alex Stamos knows all about global online threats, having worked as Facebook’s chief security officer, and now running a team at Stanford researching all of this. He joins the show to discuss.

Also on today's show: Mike Chinoy, Author, “Assignment China”; financial journalist William D. Cohan

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Daniel Ellsberg on holding governments accountable Mar 24, 2023

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The 20th anniversary of the Iraq War this week reminds us of the critical importance of holding governments to account. Whistleblowing plays a crucial role in this pursuit. Daniel Ellsberg is probably the patron saint of modern-day whistleblowers thanks to one giant leap of courage and conscience. Leaking the Pentagon Papers in 1971, at great personal risk, changed the course of history, and revealed America secretly knew the war was unwinnable. 50 years later, Ellsberg is still deeply committed to peace and transparency, but this month – at almost 92 – he revealed his latest personal battle, after being diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. He speaks with Christiane from his home in California to discuss his life, this farewell moment, and how to save lives by speaking out.

Also on today's show: Musician Yusuf/Cat Stevens; Eric Schmidt, former CEO & chairman of Google

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Nobel Prize-winning human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk Mar 22, 2023

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The United Nations says more than 8,300 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since Russia began its war. This as President Putin and his minister for children’s affairs have been slapped with arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court over the forced deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children. To discuss all this and prospects for accountability, Christiane speaks with the head of Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties, which last year was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Also on today's show: Journalist Imara Jones; “Behayshta,” an Afghan girl prevented from going to school; Orzala Nemat, Research Associate, SOAS University of London; Rina Amiri, US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights

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ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan Mar 21, 2023

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The official civilian death toll from Russia’s war on Ukraine now stands at 8,317 – but the reality is that number is likely far higher. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken describes the “massive death and destruction” caused by Russian war crimes, as the State Department report on human rights highlights indiscriminate attacks on civilians and credible reports of execution, torture and rape. The International Criminal Court has just issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest over the case of forcibly deported Ukrainian children, and their chief prosecutor joins Christiane in London.

Also on today's show: Neda Sharghi, sister of Emad Shargi, American detained in Iran; Sarah McCammon, NPR National Correspondent; John Kirby, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications

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What to make of the Putin-Xi 'journey of peace' Mar 20, 2023

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping came together in Moscow today in what Beijing is casting as a “journey of peace.” But with Putin intent on crushing Ukraine’s democracy and Xi hoping for a new world being made more in Beijing’s image, is it more like the rise of the authoritarians? Vladimir Milov is Russia’s former deputy minister of energy, and he joins the show alongside former Pentagon official Michael Beckley.

Also on today's show: Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Author, “A Stranger in Your Own City”; Melvyn Leffler, Author, “Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq”

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Wanted man Mar 18, 2023

Show notes

First: The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for allegedly deporting Ukrainian children to Russia.

Next: A harrowing look at the Iraq invasion 20 years on through the lens of an acclaimed photographer.

Then: An investigative journalist in Mexico dives into cartels, drugs, immigration and what's behind the epidemic of the disappeared.

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